In this step, the teacher asks the class members to stand back, look at the information they have analyzed so far and see how it connects to the believability of the claim --this time with a focus on the chain of reasoning the author presents to convince the reader to believe the claim (Toulmin’s warrant). To do this, students work individually or together as a class, in pairs, or in small groups to determine why the source included the information it did to support the claim. They should consider things like:
Is there a sufficient amount of data?
Was the methodology of the study good?
Did opinions or other information come from believable sources?
Was the logic sound?; etc
If students work as a class, the teacher guides the discussion until the reasoning for the claim is analyzed. If students work in pairs or small groups, the teacher circulates among the groups to help them each create evaluative statements. When pairs or groups have generated the reasoning and justifications presented in the argument, the teacher asks each pair or group to report their answer to the whole class. As each evaluation is contributed, it is written on the board or projector. A discussion of the reasoning and evaluation follows. Revisions and additions are made, if necessary.
This step often proves to be a complex task when analyzing claims, since theories are sometimes used here as well as in the section of Evidence. In addition, theories may be made explicit or may be implicit in the reasoning that is made to support the claim with the evidence. The teacher asks, or assigns, the class to find and list any theory, principle, rule, or law that is used as backing for the claim. For this section, the single word “theory” will sometimes be used to stand for the entire group of backings that may also be referred to as rules, principles or laws.
If students work as a class, the teacher guides the discussion until the reasoning for the claim is analyzed. If students work in pairs or small groups, the teacher circulates among the groups to help them each create evaluative statements. When pairs or groups have generated the reasoning and justifications presented in the argument, the teacher asks each pair or group to report their answer to the whole class. As each evaluation is contributed, it is written on the board or projector. A discussion of the reasoning and evaluation follows. Revisions and additions are made, if necessary.
This step often proves to be a complex task when analyzing claims, since theories are sometimes used here as well as in the section of Evidence. In addition, theories may be made explicit or may be implicit in the reasoning that is made to support the claim with the evidence. The teacher asks, or assigns, the class to find and list any theory, principle, rule, or law that is used as backing for the claim. For this section, the single word “theory” will sometimes be used to stand for the entire group of backings that may also be referred to as rules, principles or laws.
Next:Identify Type of Reasoning